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Myth Busting!

With so many outright lies and distortions being hurdled about Wareham right now, I thought I would create a new thread that would specifically deal with the misinformation stated elsewhere. Please feel free to jump in.

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72 opinions posted

FrontPage News

Town Clerk May Ann Silva

Silva calls Take Back Wareham fraud claims "ridiculous"

Town Clerk Mary Ann Silva, who is seeking re-election for a fifth term, fired back at the political group Take Back Wareham on Tuesday, calling claims that she mishandled absentee ballots in past elections “ridiculous.”

“I don’t handle absentee ballots at all,” Silva said. “I never have. That duty falls to one of my staffers. The absentee ballots are delivered right to the precincts. They are checked off and run through the machine. I don't know why (Take Back Wareham) is suddenly claiming these ballots have been mishandled in the past. That has never happened.”

Silva also took offense at suggestions made by members of Take Back Wareham that the Secretary of State’s office should provide special monitors to oversee the April 6 town election.

“Part of my job as town clerk is to be town registrar. As town register it is my responsibility to follow the process to get the election going. When Election Day comes I will not be on duty. I will not perform any duties as town clerk. That will fall to my assistant. That’s how it has always been done. That’s how it’s done all over Massachusetts. I won’t be anywhere near the ballots.”

Silva said Take Back Wareham has just slapped the face of every single one of the 61 election workers that assist her each year.

“When they attack me they are also attack the people working under me during the election,” she said. “Do these people have any idea how much power I would need to corrupt the election process? I would have to involve all 61 election workers, and all 61 would have to be corrupt. You can talk to all 61 election workers to see if I operate that way as town clerk.”

Silva also noted that any candidate can request representatives to be present to observe the election process.

“In the past, generally out of courtesy, candidates send a letter stating they will have observers at the polls. It’s always been done that way.”

Silva also took issue with suggestions that her husband Jack, who usually works at one of the precincts on Election Day, would committee fraud to enhance his wife’s chances of winning.

“Nobody in my family will be working at any of the polls on Election Day,” she said. “Even though there is nothing illegal about that, I decided a long time ago to avoid even the appearance of a conflict-of-interest.”

Silva said she has no intention of asking the Secretary of State’s office to monitor the election.

“There is no logical or ethical reason to do that,” she said. “I am not going to insult 61 election workers because some people in Wareham want to create an election issue where one doesn’t exist.”

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Robert Slager - 8 opinions posted